Registration Numbers Club

Make sure you get it right!

According to the Automobile Association there has been quite an increase in the number of drivers being stopped by police due to simple registration errors made on insurance records, the mistakes being picked up by police ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras.

Very simple errors on an insurance application form can lead to motorists being stopped and in extreme cases having their cars confiscated. It's easy to accidently transpose letters or numbers but this means the ANPR technology will not recognise whether the vehicle carries insurance.

Common mistakes are such things as mixing up the number ‘0' with a capital letter ‘O' or transposing similar sounding letters such as ‘N' or ‘M'. It is, therefore, advisable to use the phonetic alphabet to avoid mistakes when on the telephone such as A - alpha or T - tango. The AA says whilst it used to receive a couple of calls a month from the police to verify a motorist was insured, it now gets 20 or more a week.

This is probably good news as it means the authorities are being more successful at catching uninsured drivers who, sadly, cost us all dearly.

When applying for car insurance on-line, it is also easy to mistakenly enter incorrect digits. It is also not unknown for insurance company personnel to make mistakes. Every insurance company, though, does send out documentation to the customer, so it is vital to check these and inform the company immediately of any errors.

The insurance company sends the data to the National Motor Insurance Database used by the police ANPR cameras to make the check. Getting it wrong can result in wasted time for you and the police. You can check if your vehicle is registered on this database at www.askmid.com/ownvehicle/ which identifies the make and model insured from the registration … but if it's not there or the description in wrong, phone your insurance company straight away.

Do you live in Esher or Brighton?

The ultimate status symbol is now available if you happen to live in Esher, Surrey. Currently for sale is E5 HER which would look great on any local resident's car … assuming you would want people to know you came from Esher of course as this sort of plate does make you rather conspicuous.

Of course, if you lived in Brighton and Hove you might be able to persuade the mayor to part with his CD 1 plate. This has been on the mayoral car for the last 30 years but now, as the local authority is trying to make savings, one resident has suggested that it should be auctioned off and the money put to better use.

The council has responded saying that getting best value from its assets doesn't necessarily mean selling them. The registration has considerable historical interest in the area and is part of the city's heritage which it is not intending to sell off. But you never know. In these cash- strapped days, why not make an offer? A figure of around £150,000 has been mentioned. You couldn't make it up

Unbelievably a motorcyclist in Plymouth, being sought by police, has been clocked breaking speed limits at a level which could prove fatal, not only for the rider but for other road users as well. The offender is thought to be riding a Yamaha motorbike and wears a distinctive helmet, but uses their hand and an ‘L' plate to obscure the registration plate behind them. I guess it's only a matter of time though before the culprit is apprehended.

Celebrating our 33rd anniversary

The RNC held its 2010 rally on Sunday 20 June 2010 at the Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford near Yeovil in Somerset to celebrate 33 years since its inception.

As usual entries were split into various classes and registrations voted on by members themselves with several trophies awarded. Members met up with friends both old and new, there were many visitors on the day and some new members were recruited. A full report and photographs will appear in the next issue of this magazine.

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